Written by

A landlord in the southwest section of the city is using a legal loophole to artificially raise rents and evict low-income tenants who can't pay - and the government is turning a blind eye, a federal lawsuit claims.

Tenants fighting eviction from the 343-unit Riverview Court housing complex on Riverdale Avenue claim in court papers that The Related Cos. is violating their rights by requiring them to pay for the electricity they use and rolling the charges into their rents without any limit.

The practice, known as submetering, is touted by some property owners as a way to encourage energy ...